Chapter 1472

Katukov listened to me, looked down at the map on the table, and said casually: "the front army assigned us two pontoon barracks. Even if the German army blew up all the bridges, it's no big deal. We can choose the section with gentle River to set up the pontoon bridge for the army to pass. But... "

Half way through katukov's words, it suddenly stopped. I couldn't help asking anxiously, "but what?"

"Comrade deputy commander of the front army," katukov's chief of staff respectfully explained to me, "although the battle has only lasted two or three days, our logistics supply troops have fallen far behind because our troops are advancing too fast. If our troops in the front can't replenish in time, it won't be long before they lose the ability to continue to advance. So I think that after the completion of the river crossing operation, the troops should stop and rest on the spot, wait for the rear supply to arrive, and then continue to attack the enemy. "

The chief of staff's words made me aware of the seriousness of the problem. At the beginning of last year, although the forces of the Voronezh front army and the southwest front army launched the Kharkov campaign were several times more than those of the German army, due to the lack of logistics, they won first and then lost, and were defeated by the forces of Manstein. If the same happens to katukov's troops, I'm afraid they will make the same mistake in the end.

Thinking of this, I turned to look at katukov and asked with a serious expression, "general katukov, if you move the logistics base forward, it will take you a few days to launch another attack."

Katukov thought for a moment, then frowned and said, "I think under the current road conditions, it will take at least three days to replenish the troops with the ammunition and fuel they need to continue fighting."

"Three days?" After hearing this, I immediately shook my head and objected: "no, three days is too long for the Germans to build a new defense on the South Bank of the river. When the time comes, our troops will have to pay a huge price to launch another attack. "

"But Comrade deputy commander of the front army." The chief of staff was a little worried after hearing what I said in a non-negotiable tone. He quickly explained: "according to the information I have, the fuel and ammunition of the tank troops are almost consumed. If they don't supplement, they can't push forward at all."

"The chief of staff is right." After his chief of staff finished speaking, katukov sighed and said to me in a deliberative tone: "Rita, according to the report, at present, there are less than five shells per tank of the 1st and 64th brigades of the close guard tanks; As for the fuel, most tanks only have the fuel tank left. If they travel 20 or 30 kilometers at most, they will lie down because they have no fuel. "

"I see what you mean." As for the difficulties raised by katukov, although I knew in my heart that what he said was the truth, I still insisted on my own opinion and said, "but I still said that I can't give the Germans a breathing space. We must thoroughly smash their defense on the road to chernofse before they build a new defense line."

Seeing the embarrassed expression on katukov's face, I couldn't bear it, so I thought of a compromise: "general katukov, you first order Zhouqiao battalion to set up a floating bridge, even if the tank can't pass for the time being, you can let our infantry cross the river to build a defensive position."

"Comrade deputy commander of the front army," the chief of staff said to me reluctantly, "but without the support of tanks, our river crossing troops may be driven into the river when they are fiercely attacked by the German army."

I looked at the chief of staff and said to him with a relaxed expression: "Comrade chief of staff, I think the next battle will be played by the 11th army of general Gutman's close guard tanks. You ask him to gather all the tank fuel and ammunition and give them to captain Boyko's 64th tank brigade, which will continue to advance as a leading force and disrupt the German deployment. And the rest of the troops, after they have replenished their ammunition and fuel, can quickly catch up. "

Katukov thought about my proposal for a moment, then nodded his head and agreed: "Rita, your method is good. It can not only maintain the offensive against the German army, but also avoid the problem of not being able to provide volunteers for the infantry due to the lack of ammunition and fuel. " After he said this, he immediately told his chief of staff, "chief of staff, call general Gutman and ask him to do it according to the way of the deputy commander of the front army."

I know in my heart that what I have put forward is only an expedient policy. If I want to completely defeat the main force of the German army, it is not enough to rely on only one tank brigade and one infantry division. I have to press up the strength of the whole group army. Thinking of this, I took the initiative to say to katukov, "Comrade General, I'll call Comrade marshal and tell him the difficulties you are facing to see if he can find any solutions."

"Great, that's great." Katukov was overjoyed when I said this. He said repeatedly, "you can ask Marshal Zhukov to order the air force to deliver fuel and ammunition for us, so that by noon tomorrow at the latest, our troops can continue to move forward."

Katukov's words made me feel like I was in a daze. Yes, how can I always think about automobile and railway transportation, but forget the fastest way of transportation, air transportation? I nodded my head in a hurry and said, "yes, yes, general katukov. Your remark really reminds me that I immediately asked marshal to send air force to deliver materials for you."

After hearing my voice, Zhukov, who answered the phone, said with a smile, "Rita, are you going to report to me that the troops of the 1st group army of tanks have successively arrived in the zareshiki region and the Dniester river? The comrades of the intelligence service have already told me the good news. "

Although Zhukov was aware of the achievements of katukov's troops, I still reported to him in detail the achievements of the troops in accordance with the regulations. Finally, I cautiously put forward my request: "marshal, because the first group army of tanks is advancing too fast, it is far away from the logistics supply base now. After repeated battles, the troops are seriously short of ammunition and fuel. If they can't replenish them in time, our attack may have to stop for a while. "

"No, it can't be." As soon as I finished, Zhukov said firmly, "in any case, the attack on the German army can't stop for a moment. How long will it take for katukov's troops to complete the replenishment? "

Hearing Zhukov's question, I looked up at katukov, who was standing opposite, and carefully replied, "according to the current road conditions and the carrying capacity of the transport team, it will take three days at the most to complete the supply of all troops."

"Three days is too long." Zhukov's tone became severe: "don't you know the reason why war is so expensive and fast? If you linger so long, the German army has built a new defense line in front of you after you have completed the replenishment. When you launched the attack, you would pay a much higher price than now. Well, you ask katukov to give all the fuel and ammunition to one of the tank brigades, which will guide the infantry to continue to attack South and disrupt the German defense deployment. "

As soon as Zhukov finished, I immediately replied, "Comrade marshal, I have just given them similar orders. However, with only one tank brigade and one infantry division, the attack power is still weak, so I would like to ask you to provide some necessary help. "

"Help, what help?" Zhukov asked in a discontented tone.

"Well, comrade marshal." Hearing that Zhukov was about to get angry, I quickly explained, "if you transport fuel and ammunition by car, the time on the road is too long. So I would like to implore you to send air force to supply the troops of the 1st group army of tanks, so that they can launch a new attack on the German defense depth at noon tomorrow at the latest. "

I thought my request would be rejected by Zhukov. I didn't expect that he was silent for a moment, and he readily agreed: "well, since you say so, I'll call air force commander krasovsky and ask him to send a transport plane to deliver materials for katukov early tomorrow morning. But you've got to get ready for the landing and storage, okay? "

"All right, comrade marshal." Listening to Zhukov's consent to the request for air transportation, my mood became happy: "we will prepare the landing site for the Air Force transport plane as soon as possible."

Putting down the phone, I excitedly said to katukov, "general katukov, marshal has agreed to send us transport planes to transport materials. The transport plane will take off at dawn. Before that, you should do two things well: one is to prepare the place where the plane can land and the area where the materials have been stored; The second is to set up a floating bridge overnight, so that the 64th brigade of Colonel Boyko's tank can guide the 24th infantry division to move forward. "

"Chief of staff," katukov told his chief of staff immediately after I finished saying, "you should arrange these two things immediately, so that our troops can launch a new attack on the German army tomorrow."

When the chief of staff went to one side to make a phone call to explain the mission, I suddenly thought of something and asked curiously, "general katukov, I remember that during the Kursk war, I asked you, saying that the 24th Infantry Division was abolished because of the loss of its flag. Why was it restored later?"

Hearing that I suddenly asked this question which was not related to the fighting, katukov gave a wry smile and said, "yes, the 24th Infantry Division was removed by the supreme command because of the loss of the flag. But later, with the help of a local resident, the staff of the Ministry of interior found the cemetery of a sacrificial officer. When they took out the remains, they found that the division's flag was wrapped around him. Although it was damaged, it was still recognizable In this way, the higher authorities restored the organizational structure of the troops. "

At three o'clock in the morning, general Gutman called to report to us that the floating bridge over the Dniester river had been completed and asked for the next task.

After listening to the other party's report, katukov said in a loud voice: "Comrade General, the order is clear. Captain Boyko's 64th tank brigade guides the 24th infantry division to attack in the direction of chernofse. Don't give the Germans any breathing space. And are you ready to land the transport

"Ready." "We're still on both sides of the runway, and we've got bonfires ready," Gutman replied loudly. "As soon as we see the plane, we'll light the bonfires and show them the direction of landing."

"Very well, general Guttman, you've done a good job." After praising his subordinates, katukov continued: "as soon as your troops have completed the replenishment, they will cross the Dniester River, follow the vanguard troops, continue to push south, and strive for the early capture of chernovitzer. Do you understand? "

"Yes, comrade commander." As one of katukov's most trusted subordinates, gertman immediately expressed his attitude after listening to the superior's words: "as long as the supply is completed, our troops will rush to chernovitzer at the fastest speed, you can rest assured." When katukov and his chief of staff gave orders to the troops, I sat at the table, staring at the map in front of me. Suddenly, I found a very humble place name. When I saw the chief of staff coming, I waved to him. Then I pointed to the place name and asked, "Comrade chief of staff, what is this place?" The chief of staff came up to me, looked down at the map and replied, "this is Mosha station, on the ground near chernovitzer." Just as the chief of staff explained to me, katukov also came over. He saw that I seemed very interested in this small place, and then added: "according to our reconnaissance, the German defense force at Mosha station is not strong, there is only one company. As soon as my tank brigade arrives, it won't be long before I can capture the station. " I pointed to the location of the station and asked nervously, "how far is this station from the nearest station controlled by our army?" Katukov saw my nervous look. After a moment's hesitation, he guessed my intention and quickly asked, "Rita, do you want our troops to transport the materials they need by railway after they occupy here?"“ Yes, general katukov, that's what I think. " Hearing that katukov guessed my intention, I replied with a smile: "our troops consume a lot of materials every day. Now it's the spring thawing season. The roads have become more and more difficult to transport, and the air transport capacity is also very limited. Only railway can deliver the materials we need as quickly as possible. "“ Chief of staff, did you hear Rita Katukov stood up straight and said to the chief of staff, "you call general Guttman immediately and ask him to order the 64th brigade of Colonel Boyko's tank to rush to Mosha station at the fastest speed and seize the station from the German in the shortest time."